


no one's ever really gone

by theneverending



Category: Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, F/M, Luke and Leia know they're siblings and that Vader is their dad, Movie: Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, No Romance, One Shot, Platonic Relationships, Pre-Battle of Endor, Sibling Bonding, Uhhh sorry to Luke and Leia this is kinda sad but y'all know how the rest of the movie goes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:42:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26230600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theneverending/pseuds/theneverending
Summary: “I’m not asking for your permission, my mind is made up.”“And I’m still going to call you an idiot for thinking this is your only option,” Leia grabs her brother’s hand, the sudden touch making him jump. “Look, Luke, I can’t change your mind. You’re just as stubborn as I am, but if you think I’m going to sit idly by and not worry about you from every second forward then you’ve lost your senses.”Luke smiles faintly at Leia, “I’ll try to send a sign. The Force will be with me and it’ll be with you too, it always has been.”or, a rewrite of the scene where luke tells leia he's surrendering himself to their father.
Relationships: Leia Organa & Luke Skywalker
Comments: 5
Kudos: 16





	no one's ever really gone

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this while I was bored at work because I love space twins and I want the best for them but sometimes things are NOT GOOD for them so uhhh here's this.

Luke watches as the Ewoks and the members of the Rebel Alliance bond, the orange glow of the torches in the hut casting a warm haze over the room. C3PO and R2D2 are front and center, reenacting a story of Luke and his friends’ journey so far while their newfound Ewok friends react in amazement. He’s standing next to Han and Leia, taking in the way she rests her head against his chest. Luke smiles fondly at the memories, the tangerine lighting, his sister’s happiness, the bittersweetness of it all. 

He knows it’s about to end.

As quietly as possible, Luke leaves the chatter behind for the brisk outdoor air of Endor. The planet is entirely green, much different than the miles and miles of desert sand on Tatooine or the blankets of snow on Hoth. It’s calm, peaceful compared to the emotions rapidly raging inside of Luke. 

He leans against the fence, staring out at the trees. Luke is only there for a few moments before he sees Leia follow him out. 

“Are you okay?” Leia asks, matching Luke’s position on the railing. 

Luke exhales, then matches his sister’s stare, “I have to face him.” 

“Who?” Leia asks, then quickly realizes. “You’re not talking about-”

“Yes, Vader. Our father,” Luke corrects. “I’m going to turn myself into him.”

Leia shakes her head, eyebrows furrowed, “No,  _ no _ , you can’t. He’ll  _ kill _ you, Luke. He won’t let you go a second time.”

“He won’t. He had the chance and didn’t. There’s still good in him, I can feel it,” Luke responds. “Anakin is still in there somewhere. He could’ve killed me the first time, but he didn’t.”

“He wants to use you, manipulate you. I know Luke, I’ve experienced it firsthand,” Leia says, the weight of Alderaan’s destruction forever a burden on her shoulders. “I won’t let him take you too.” 

“I’m just one person, if I die it’s so the rest of the galaxy can be free, so they can live,” Luke pauses. “So  _ you _ can live, have the life you always wanted, one where you won’t have to worry about fighting in the war.”

“I don’t want to live a life without you in it,” Leia fires back, dark eyes squinted with worry. 

Luke turns away from her, looking at the trees of Endor. “You have Han and Chewie and the droids, you’ll be okay without me.”

“If I would be okay without you I wouldn’t be begging you to stay.” 

The trees rustle with the soft breeze, the banging drums from the Ewoks celebration loud in the distance. Luke can hear Leia breathing, feeling her eyes search him for some sort of answer, one where he gives in and decides to stay and fight alongside his sister and his friends, but he can’t. He knows the only way to get through to his father is to approach him directly, to try and make him remember what it meant to be  _ good _ . 

He knows the good is in him. Even if it’s buried deep within his heart, it’s there. 

“I’m not asking for your permission, my mind is made up.” 

“And I’m still going to call you an idiot for thinking this is your only option,” Leia grabs her brother’s hand, the sudden touch making him jump. “Look, Luke, I can’t change your mind. You’re just as stubborn as I am, but if you think I’m going to sit idly by and not worry about you from every second forward then you’ve lost your senses.” 

Luke smiles faintly at Leia, “I’ll try to send a sign. The Force will be with me and it’ll be with you too, it always has been.” 

“Like in Cloud City.” 

He nods, “Just like in Cloud City.”

“What if you get hurt? What if he kills you, am I going to feel that too?” Leia asks, remembering the burning sensation that shot through her arm when Luke faced their father in Bespin. 

“I hope the Force wouldn’t be cruel enough to make you witness that.”

Leia looks down at her hand on top of Luke’s, “I don’t think we have a choice, now do we?” 

When Luke doesn’t respond, Leia lets out an exasperated breath. “Just promise me you’ll be careful. You’re all I have, Luke. I lost my whole family, the only parents I’ve ever known were murdered by the Empire and I didn’t even get to say goodbye,” Leia squeezes his hand. “ _ Please _ Luke, I can’t lose you too.” 

“I will do all that I can to come back to you.”

“Safely,” Leia warns. 

“As safely as I can.” 

Leia blinks behind her dark eyelashes, “Only then will I have the life I want, the family both of us need.” 

With a sigh, Luke looks off into the distance again. He taps on his knee with his prosthetic, the movement of his fingers matching the drums in the distance. 

“You want him to come back with you.”

Luke stops tapping his fingers, the tips motionless on his knee, “I do. More than anything.” 

For his whole life, Luke was missing the father figure he so desperately yearned for. He knew his father was a pod racer, one of the best from Tatooine, and being a Jedi granted him a chance to leave that dusty old rock. He created a life for himself as a pilot, and then somehow became the face of the Empire, a threat to the galaxy. 

And yet, Luke couldn’t let go of that childlike desire to capture his father’s attention, to have some sort of normalcy. Sure, he had Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru growing up, but it wasn’t the same. Even though they raised him, Luke never felt like he was their child. After he lost his aunt and uncle to the Empire, he met Leia and his friends, finding that sense of family he’d been searching for since he was a child.

Now he was about to leave it all behind for a pipe dream, a glimmer of hope that made him believe there was still good in his father. That Luke could talk to him, beg him to come back to the light. Luke wants more than anything to make him finally realize that Anakin Skywalker wasn’t truly dead, just lost. 

“You have too much faith in him.”

Luke shrugs, “Maybe I have just enough.” 

Leia stays quiet for a moment, running a hand through her long, brunette strands. Luke wonders if her hair color, her dark eyes, her upturned nose, all the features that make up the mosaic of her face, came from their mother or their father. 

“I hope you can change him. If anyone can do it, it’ll be you.” 

Luke stares at his sister, smiling slightly, “You have too much faith in me.” 

Leia returns the favor, the corners of her lips turning up fondly, “I have more than enough.” 

With one final squeeze of the hand, Luke stands. He goes to pull away, but Leia refuses, holding onto him tightly. 

“I must go,” Luke says. “If I don’t leave now my courage will run out.” 

“Never. You’re the bravest person I’ve ever known. I love you.” 

Luke falters at this, letting go of Leia’s hand and envelops her in a hug. He rests his chin on top of her head, her hair scratching the length of his neck. He feels her sob once, then twice, arms on his back pulling him closer. 

“Please don’t cry, Leia,” Luke says, the front of his shirt becoming wet with tears. “I love you, I’ll come back.” 

“I know you will, you have to,” Leia sniffles. “You always do.” 

With that, Luke pulls away and kisses his sister on the forehead. He puts a hand on her shoulder, looking her directly in the eyes. 

“I will come back, it’s all going to be okay,” Luke says, knowing that it’s probably not true, that this is quite possibly the last time he’ll ever hold his sister close. 

Leia smiles, cheeks wet with tears, “I know. I love you too.” 

If he stays any longer, Luke knows he’ll change his mind, so he lets go of Leia, the warmth of the touch leaving his skin almost immediately. It’s replaced with the cold breeze, an emptiness that Luke wishes he could replace but knows he can’t. 

He gives one last nod to Leia, who’s standing with her arms crossed tightly over her chest. Luke wishes he could stay, go back and hug her and find a way to somehow win the war without surrendering to their father, but this is the only possible chance for survival. 

Luke turns from his sister, leaving one member of his family behind for another. 

_ I promise you _ , Luke thinks, hoping that Leia can somehow hear him.  _ I will make this right, bring balance to the Force.  _

_ It will be with us both,  _ he hears faintly.

Luke grins in the darkness,  _ Always.  _


End file.
